Welcome to our mini-series on Divorce Comedies! Over the next 4-ish episodes, we’re exploring this genre that caught us off guard with how much its makes us laugh, cry, and yell divorce! In this introductory episode, rather than focus on any one show, we get into the defining features of divorce comedies, why we wanted to talk about them, and whether or not they can be counted as rom coms.

Show Notes:

Other Lit Mentioned this episode: Lost You Forever, WWE: Wrestlemania, Nettle & Bone, The Legend of Shen Li, Romance is a Bonus Book, Grace and Frankie, Crazy Stupid Love, Let's Get Divorced, 500 Days of Summer, Stranger's Again, Mine, Rinko-San Wants to Try, Be Melodramatic

On Future SLL Episodes: Dr. Cha, Strangers Again, and Let's Get Divorced, and A Court of Thorns and Roses

Don't forget to subscribe to Sex. Love. Literature! You can find us on Instagram and Threads @SexLoveLit, and on Tumblr @SexLoveLitPodcast

Our cover art is by Charcooll (⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/charcooll/⁠⁠⁠⁠). The SLL Theme music is “Pluck It Up” by Dan Henig. What’s Sparking Joy BGM is "Candy-Coloured Sky" by Catmosphere | https://soundcloud.com/ctmsphr; Released by Paper Crane Collective; Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com; Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

SLL is a podcast relishing the romantic, the sexy, and the scandalous in pop-culture. English academics by day and podcasters by night, hosts Ayanni and Corinne take a semi-scholarly look at why the “sex-stuff” in media matters in the bedroom—and beyond.

"See, on the road to Hell there was a railroad line..."

It's time for a deep dive into the Broadway musical, Hadestown. We get into how the musical adapts the Grek myths of Orpheus and Eurydice & Hades and Persephone for a modern setting; the love stories–and tragedy–of the two core relationships; and the productive ambiguity of seeing it all happen on stage. 

Content Warning: Discussions of S*xual Assault from (1:06:41 - 1:14:05)

Show Notes:

Other Lit Mentioned this episode: The Story of Ming Lang, Lore Olympus, When I Arrived at the Castle, Speak, Beka Cooper Trilogy, Alanna the Lioness Quartet

On Future SLL Episodes: Divorce Comedies (featuring Dr. Cha, Strangers Again, and Let's Get Divorced), and A Court of Thorns and Roses

Don't forget to subscribe to Sex. Love. Literature! You can find us on Instagram and Threads @SexLoveLit, and on Tumblr @SexLoveLitPodcast

Our cover art is by Charcooll (⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/charcooll/⁠⁠⁠). The SLL Theme music is “Pluck It Up” by Dan Henig. What’s Sparking Joy BGM is "Candy-Coloured Sky" by Catmosphere | https://soundcloud.com/ctmsphr; Released by Paper Crane Collective; Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com; Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

SLL is a podcast relishing the romantic, the sexy, and the scandalous in pop-culture. English academics by day and podcasters by night, hosts Ayanni and Corinne take a semi-scholarly look at why the “sex-stuff” in media matters in the bedroom—and beyond.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:08 Opening Banter

03:40 What's Sparking Joy

9:43 Introducing Hadestown

18:07 Characters and Plot

33:45 What We Loved about Hadestown

41:50 Is Hadestown a Successful Myth Adaptation?

44:57 The Cycle of Hadestown

49:57 Intertwined Love Stories

1:14:07 Hadestown's Other Themes

1:25:31 On the Climax...

1:31:29 Last Thoughts

1:34:56 Next time on SLL

Corinne wasn’t feeling well this week, so Ayanni called in the cavalry. This episode, she's joined by her spouse (and friend of the show) Andrew Cooper to talk about the new action-dramedy series, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. They give their general impressions, think about the series’ adaptation choices, and muse about the show’s depiction of married life. 

Show Notes:

Other Lit Mentioned this episode: Jujutsu Kaisen, Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse, Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2009), Skip and Loafer, Dungeon Meshi, Tell Me That You Love Me, Let's Talk About Chu, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Ironman, Pen15, Blue Eyed Samurai, Pluto, Atlanta

On Future SLL Episodes: Hadestown, Divorce Comedies, and A Court of Thornes and Roses

Don't forget to subscribe to Sex. Love. Literature! You can find us on Instagram and Threads @SexLoveLit, and on Tumblr @SexLoveLitPodcast

Our cover art is by Charcooll (⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/charcooll/⁠⁠). The SLL Theme music is “Pluck It Up” by Dan Henig. What’s Sparking Joy BGM is "Candy-Coloured Sky" by Catmosphere | https://soundcloud.com/ctmsphr; Released by Paper Crane Collective; Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com; Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

SLL is a podcast relishing the romantic, the sexy, and the scandalous in pop-culture. English academics by day and podcasters by night, hosts Ayanni and Corinne take a semi-scholarly look at why the “sex-stuff” in media matters in the bedroom—and beyond.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:07 Saying Hi to Andrew

05:51 What's Sparking Joy

15:20 Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Smith

19:54 First Impressions

24:43 Spoiler Discussion Begins

1:05:47 Coming Up on SLL

Happy New Year, y'all! We continue our annual tradition of checking in about what pop-culture is "sparking joy” in January,  our favorites of 2023, and what we’re looking forward to in 2024.

(CW: discussion of parental and sibling death.)

Oh, and did we mention we have a tumblr now? www.tumblr.com/sexlovelitpodcast

Show Notes:

Check out Charcooll--the awesome artist who did our cover art-- on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/charcooll/) and on RedBubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/charcooll/shop?asc=u)

Lit Mentioned By Section:

Don't forget to subscribe to Sex. Love. Literature! You can find us on Instagram and Threads @SexLoveLit, and on Tumblr @SexLoveLitPodcast

Our cover art is by Charcooll (⁠https://www.instagram.com/charcooll/⁠). The SLL Theme music is “Pluck It Up” by Dan Henig. What’s Sparking Joy BGM is "Candy-Coloured Sky" by Catmosphere | https://soundcloud.com/ctmsphr; Released by Paper Crane Collective; Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com; Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

SLL is a podcast relishing the romantic, the sexy, and the scandalous in pop-culture. English academics by day and podcasters by night, hosts Ayanni and Corinne take a semi-scholarly look at why the “sex-stuff” in media matters in the bedroom—and beyond.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

00:58 Opening Bander

09:11 What's Sparking Joy

16:37 2023 Joy Sparked - Rapid Fire

36:06 2023 Joy Sparked - Deeper Dive

1:02:37 Looking Forward to 2024 Joy

1:14:24 Pop-Culture Predictions

1:22:28 Closing Out/Future SLL Episodes

CW: Discussion of s*xual assault, and brief mentions of drugging and s*icide, from 1:00:27 – 1:04:15

You’ve made it to the third and final installment of our semi-accidental mini-series on the Chinese Drama, Lost You Forever. (You either really like us, or you really like Lost You Forever, and we appreciate you either way.)

We know you’ve been waiting for it, so this episode, we finally get to the last three main players fighting for Xiaoyao’s heart: Fenglong of the Central Plains; Xiang Liu, everyone’s favorite nine-headed sea snake demon man; and last but certainly not least, Tushan Jing, soft beta baby boy of the year.

Don't forget to listen to part one, "E35 Lost You Forever Season 1 (Mini-Series Part 1, Spoiler Free)," and part two, “E36 Lost You Forever Season 1 (Mini-Series Part 2, Spoiler Filled),” if you haven't already.

Show Notes:

Lost You Forever Soundtrack (on Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/album/6opCSvYhh5CiAioySGp0Nm?si=7a6e1432558947d0

Other lit mentioned this episode: Till the End of the Moon

Don't forget to subscribe to Sex. Love. Literature! You can find us on Instagram and Threads @SexLoveLit.

SLL is a podcast relishing the romantic, the sexy, and the scandalous in pop-culture. English academics by day and podcasters by night, hosts Ayanni and Corinne take a semi-scholarly look at why the “sex-stuff” in media matters in the bedroom—and beyond.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:24 Opening Bander

02:32 What's Sparking Joy

6:30 Fenglong doesn't stand a chance

17:58 It's thirsting for Xiang Liu hours

41:14 Poor, sweet Tushan Jing

1:06:30 Some Final Thoughts

1:14:38 Closing Out

We’re continuing our three-part mini-series on Lost You Forever by diving right into a truck load of spoilers! In honor of the reverse harem-ness at all, we organized our discussion around leading lady, Xiaoyao, and her four suitors.

This episode, we start with Xiaoyao herself–and her many abandonment issues. Then, we get into our complicated feelings about her charming, ambitious cousin, Cang Xuan and his dangerous pursuit of the throne. As a treat (for Corinne), we also talk about Xiaoyao’s bratty half-sister, A’nian, because she’s the worst (and the best).

Don’t worry Fangfeng Bei and Tushan Jing fans, stay tuned for part three of our discussion for our hot takes on the rest of the harem.

Don't forget to listen to part one, "E35 Lost You Forever Season 1 (Mini-Series Part 1, Spoiler Free)," if you haven't already.

Show Notes:

Lost You Forever Soundtrack (on Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/album/6opCSvYhh5CiAioySGp0Nm?si=7a6e1432558947d0

"You & Me" by Jennie (on Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/track/6gcuJpHu0Ey30D5WR76y98

Other lit mentioned this episode:

Crash Landing on You, You & Me by Jennie, Pharaohs by SBTRKT, Goodbye My Princess

Don't forget to subscribe to Sex. Love. Literature! You can find us on Instagram and Threads @SexLoveLit.

SLL is a podcast relishing the romantic, the sexy, and the scandalous in pop-culture. English academics by day and podcasters by night, hosts Ayanni and Corinne take a semi-scholarly look at why the “sex-stuff” in media matters in the bedroom—and beyond.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:32 Opening Bander

07:17 What's Sparking Joy

12:51 Starting with Xiaoyao

31:58 Cang Xuan Time

51:44 Closing Out

CW: Brief mention of s*icide @ 30:00.

Welcome to the first installment in our three part mini-series on the Chinese drama, Lost You Forever (Season 1). If you haven’t seen this drama, don’t worry–the first part of our mini-series is spoiler free!

We give some context about the show set up, share some spoiler-free reactions, and wrap up with a game of F*ck, Marry, K!ll. Along the way, we also share all the reasons we think you should check out Lost You Forever–if it hasn’t already taken the top spot on your favorite dramas list.

Parts 2 and 3 of our Lost You Forever mini-series dropping on December 8th!

Show Notes:

Lost You Forever Soundtrack (on Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/album/6opCSvYhh5CiAioySGp0Nm?si=7a6e1432558947d0

Lit discussed this episode:

Love Between Fairy and Devil, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, As If Love Does Not Exist, Perfect Marriage Revenge, Story of Ming Lan, Love and Redemption, Love You Seven Times

Don't forget to subscribe to Sex. Love. Literature! You can find us on Instagram and Threads @SexLoveLit.

SLL is a podcast relishing the romantic, the sexy, and the scandalous in pop-culture. English academics by day and podcasters by night, hosts Ayanni and Corinne take a semi-scholarly look at why the “sex-stuff” in media matters in the bedroom—and beyond.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:16 Opening Banter

06:19 What's Sparking Joy?

15:36 It's Lost You Forever Time

22:24 LYF Characters

27:36 LYF Political Landscape

34:23 What We Love About LYF

Happy Halloween, SLL Listeners! This episode is a special spooky season treat: a Trope Spotlight episode on ~Demon Lovers~ 😈. We’re joined by comic-scholar, friend of the show, and fellow monster aficionado Dr. Sam Langsdale to tackle the deliciously demonic topic. Together, we parse through what makes a demon a demon-as well as what we want from a demon lover-throw in some monster theory, and share some of our many favorites.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:30 Opening Banter

02:57 Guest Introduction

12:37 What's Sparking Joy

25:42 Demon Lovers Discussion

Show Notes:

You can find Sam on Bluesky @samlangsdale.bsky.social or on her website, www.samlangsdale.com. And here's a link to Monstrous Women in Comics, too - https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/M/Monstrous-Women-in-Comics

Bonus Treats🍬

As two people who study, analyze, and have a literal podcast about media, we stand in solidarity with the SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike–along with their counterparts in other industries/countries, who also deserve fair wages and labor protections–none of the works we discuss here or in other episodes would exist.

Lit discussed this episode: Fionna and Cake, Wheel of Time (Season 2), Glow Up, Wednesday, Love You Seven Times, Lost You Forever, Howl's Moving Castle (Book and Film), Good Omens 2, Fruits Basket, Stuffed - A living pillow romance, Inuyasha, Love and Redemption, The Good Place, Castlevania, Beauty and the Beast, Lucifer, Excalibur, Oh Gosh, Oh Golly, Oh Wow! Podcast, Monster Prom, Monster Camp, Love Between Fairy and Devil, Obey Me: One Master to Rule Them All, Shadow & Bone, The Witches of Eastwick, Till the End of the Moon, Monsters and Girls

Don't forget to subscribe to Sex. Love. Literature! You can find us on Instagram and Threads @SexLoveLit.

The SLL Theme music for this episode is “TipToes” by Myuu. What’s Sparking Joy BGM is "Candy-Coloured Sky" by Catmosphere | https://soundcloud.com/ctmsphr; Released by Paper Crane Collective; Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com; Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License;  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

SLL is a podcast relishing the romantic, the sexy, and the scandalous in pop-culture. English academics by day and podcasters by night, hosts Ayanni and Corinne take a semi-scholarly look at why the “sex-stuff” in media matters in the bedroom—and beyond.

This episode, on the recommendation of an SLL listener, we’re excited to do a deep dive into the Japanese Drama, Rinko-San Wants to Try. We get into how the show complicates conceptions of virginity, plays with the friends with benefits trope, and maybe get in our feelings a lil bit about a second female lead who really got under Ayanni’s skin.

As two people who study, analyze, and have a literal podcast about media, we stand in solidarity with the SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike–along with their counterparts in other industries/countries, who also deserve fair wages and labor protections–none of the works we discuss here or in other episodes would exist.

Lit discussed this episode: Get Up EP by NewJeans, Pop Culture Happy Hour (this episode specifically: https://www.npr.org/2023/08/15/1193958358/newjeans-is-a-new-kind-of-k-pop-juggernaut), My Dearest, Hit the Spot, Because This is My First Life, Lost You Forever, Friends With Benefits, No Strings Attached, Nevertheless..., Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Sex Education

Bonus reading (aka works cited & consulted):

Don't forget to subscribe to Sex. Love. Literature! You can find us on Instagram and Threads @SexLoveLit.

The SLL Theme music is “Pluck It Up” by Dan Henig. What’s Sparking Joy BGM is "Candy-Coloured Sky" by Catmosphere | https://soundcloud.com/ctmsphr; Released by Paper Crane Collective; Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com; Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License;  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Recorded September 2023

SLL is a podcast relishing the romantic, the sexy, and the scandalous in pop-culture. English academics by day and podcasters by night, hosts Ayanni and Corinne take a semi-scholarly look at why the “sex-stuff” in media matters in the bedroom—and beyond.

This is the second episode of our two part discussion on the Female Gaze. Since we laid some groundwork and gave some context in part one, this time around, we dive right in. In thinking through “the female gaze,” we ask questions of whom we presume is looking and who is being looked at. We also think about how the gaze becomes more complicated in our modern media context, especially when we move beyond binary, heteronormative understandings of gender and sexuality.

We definitely recommend checking out "E31 The Female Gaze (Part 1): The Origins of the Gaze" before listening to this one.

As two people who study, analyze, and have a literal podcast about media, we stand in solidarity with the WAG and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike–along with their counterparts in other industries/countries, who also deserve fair wages and labor protections– none of the works we discuss here or in other episodes would exist.

Lit discussed this episode: Get Up EP by NewJeans, Spicy by Aespa, Her Private Life, See You in My 19th Life, My Love Story with Yamada-Kun at Level 999; The Song of the Lioness Quartet, The Immortals Quartet, The Lunar Chronicles, A League of Their Own (TV Series),

Bonus reading (aka works cited & consulted):

Don't forget to subscribe to Sex. Love. Literature! You can find us on Instagram and Threads @SexLoveLit.

The SLL Theme music is “Pluck It Up” by Dan Henig. What’s Sparking Joy BGM is "Candy-Coloured Sky" by Catmosphere | https://soundcloud.com/ctmsphr; Released by Paper Crane Collective; Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com; Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License;  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US